Providing child restraint systems for vehicles has long been a concern of the automotive industry. Portable child seats are frequently used to help ensure the safety of infants and small children when they are passengers in a vehicle. One way to secure the child seats and facilitate attachment to and removal from the vehicle is to use the “LATCH” (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system.
Passive restraint systems such as airbags have long been used in automobiles to protect older children and adults. Recently, the Ford Motor Company has developed a rear inflatable belt (RIB) system to help protect occupants in the middle and rear vehicle seats, who might not otherwise have the benefit of an airbag that would deploy in front of them. The RIB system includes a seatbelt with shoulder harness configured similarly to a conventional seatbelt except that it is inflatable based on the same triggers used to inflate steering wheel and dashboard airbags. Combining this technology, or some variation thereof, with a portable child seat, could provide an improved child restraint system for a vehicle.